O75 Public Administration

Roy Morgan New Zealand Poll: Support for National-led Government and Labour-led Opposition now tied

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Apr-26

Roy Morgan’s New Zealand Poll for March 2026 shows the National-led Government (National, ACT & NZ First) on 47.5%, up 1% point and effectively tied with the Labour-Greens-Maori Party Parliamentary Opposition on 48% (up 1% point). Amongst the Government support for National fell 4.5% to 26.5% (its lowest level of support since National was elected to Government in late 2023), support for NZ First was up 1.5% to 11% (its highest level of support since being elected to Government), and support for ACT increased by 2% to 10%. For the Parliamentary Opposition, support for Labour increased 4% points to 34%, support for the Greens dropped 3.5% points to 11%, and support for the Maori Party was up 0.5% to 3%. A further 4.5% (unchanged) of electors supported a minor party outside Parliament. The survey results for March would lead to the National-led Government winning 60 seats (down eight seats from the election) and the Labour-led Parliamentary Opposition would win 60 seats (up five seats). This latest New Zealand Roy Morgan Poll on voting intention was conducted by telephone – both landline and mobile – with a New Zealand-wide cross-section of 872 electors from 23 February 23 to 22 March. Meanwhile, the Roy Morgan Government Confidence Rating dropped 6.5 points to 78 in March

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, MORGAN POLL, NATIONAL PARTY OF NEW ZEALAND, ACT NEW ZEALAND, NEW ZEALAND FIRST PARTY, LABOUR PARTY (NEW ZEALAND), GREEN PARTY OF AOTEAROA NEW ZEALAND, THE MAORI PARTY

Seismic 40pc pay ruling set to reshape teen jobs

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Original article by David Marin-Guzman
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 2 : 1-Apr-26

Coles, Woolworths and McDonald’s are expected to be amongst the large companies that will be affected by the Fair Work Commission’s decision to abolish junior pay rates for young adults. The landmark ruling will apply to more than 500,000 employees aged 18-20 across the fast food, retail and pharmacy sectors; they will be progressively shifted to adult wages over the four years from December, resulting in them receiving pay rises of up to 42 per cent. The Shop, Distributive & Allied Employees’ Association has likened the decision to the awarding of equal pay for women in the 1970s. However, the Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s CEO Andrew McKellar warns that employers in the affected sectors are likely to hire staff who are older and have more experience.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FAIR WORK COMMISSION, SHOP, DISTRIBUTIVE AND ALLIED EMPLOYEES’ ASSOCIATION, AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY, COLES GROUP LIMITED – ASX COL, WOOLWORTHS GROUP LIMITED – ASX WOW, McDONALD’S AUSTRALIA LIMITED

Labor’s draft party platform more assertive on China and omits mandatory jail term stance

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Original article by Dan Jervis-Bardy
The Guardian Australia – Page: Online : 1-Apr-26

The first draft of Labor’s 2026 national party platform shows that some key issues have been omitted since the last such document was prepared ahead of the 2025 election. Amongst other things, the initial draft does not include any references to carbon, capture and storage technology or Labor’s long-standing opposition to mandatory jail terms. However, it does reaffirmed Labor’s support for the AUKUS alliance and a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, while stating that Labor will continue to assert Australia’s interests in the "face of China projecting power" in the Indo-Pacific region. The new national platform will be refined before it is debated at Labor’s triennial national conference in July.

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AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY

No longer a low-debt country

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Original article by Greg Brown, Matthew Cranston, Lachlan Leeming
The Australian – Page: 1 & 2 : 1-Apr-26

Former NSW premier Mike Baird notes that Australia’s state and territory governments now account for about half of the nation’s total public debt. Baird contends that the states need to be more accountable for the nation’s growing debt; he argues that treasurers should issue a fiscal statement ahead of their annual budgets outlining the consequences of their spending decisions for the coming 10 years, rather than simply the four-year budget cycle. Meanwhile, federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers has declined to make a commitment to produce net saving in the May budget, amid growing speculation that it will feature new government spending measures in response to the oil shock and cost-of-living pressures.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 4.3 points to 58.8 – a record low for Consumer Confidence as average retail petrol prices hit record high above $2.50 per litre

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 1-Apr-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 4.3 points to 58.8 in the week to 29 March; it is now 26.5pts lower than a year ago (85.3), and 16.5pts below the 2026 weekly average of 75.3. This is a second consecutive record low level for Consumer Confidence in the index stretching back over 50 years since 1972, and the first time the index has ever dipped below 60. Analysis by State shows Consumer Confidence falling in all five mainland States this week. Now just 12% of Australians (down 2ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year (a new record low for this indicator), while 61% (up 4ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ (a new record high for this indicator). Looking forward, 17% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year (a new record low for this indicator), while 51% (up 2ppts) expect to be ‘worse off’ (a new record high for this indicator). Only 4% (down 2ppts) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months (the lowest figure for this indicator since April 2020), while 56% (up 2ppts) expect ‘bad times’ (the highest figure for this indicator since April 2020). Meanwhile, just 13% (down 1ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the lowest figure for this indicator for six years since March 2020), while 54% (down 1ppt) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ

Card surcharge ban to lift fees, rates

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Original article by James Eyers
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 12 & 17 : 1-Apr-26

Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the Reserve Bank of Australia’s decision to ban credit and debit card surcharges from 1 October will provide cost-of-living relief for consumers and businesses. The federal government itself had previously committed only to banning debit card surcharges. The RBA estimates that the move will save consumers about $1.6bn a year; however, Alan Machet from Visa warns that credit card fees and interest rates will rise, while the RBA has conceded that some businesses may seek to offset the abolition of surcharges by increasing their prices. The central bank has also advised that the cap on interchange fees for credit cards will be reduced to 0.3 per cent of the value of a transaction, compared with 0.8 per cent at present.

CORPORATES
RESERVE BANK OF AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, VISA INTERNATIONAL

Pens poised to sign on stalled EU trade deal

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Original article by Michael Read
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 6 : 18-Mar-26

There is growing expectation that Australia and the European Union will shortly finalise a much-anticipated free-trade deal. Trade Minister Don Farrell held online talks with his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic overnight to discuss outstanding issues, and he has expressed confidence that a deal can be struck that is in Australia’s national interest. The European Commissio’s president Ursula von der Leyen is expected to travel to Australia as soon as next week to finalise the deal. Negotiations for a free-trade deal begin in 2018, but stalled in 2023.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. DEPT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE

Overall Australian unemployment and under-employment at 3.61 million in February; Real Unemployment at 1.72 million

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-26

In February 2026, Australian ‘real’ unemployment fell 97,000 to 1,721,000 (10.6% of the workforce, down 0.6%), although under-employment surged 216,000 to a record high of 1,892,000 (up 1.3% to 11.6%). In total, 3.61 million Australians (22.2% of the workforce) were either unemployed or under-employed in February. Roy Morgan estimates the overall workforce size (which adds together the employed and unemployed) at a record high just above 16.2 million in February – 16,263,000 to be exact, up 51,000 on a month ago, and representing 69.8% of Australians aged 14+. Employment increased by 148,000 to 14,542,000; driving the increase was a rise in part-time employment (up 169,000 to 5,242,000), while full-time employment fell 21,000 to 9,300,000.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

Roy Morgan Business Confidence plunged 8.8pts to 88.6 in February – before the conflict in the Middle East even began

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 18-Mar-26

IIn February 2026, Roy Morgan Business Confidence plunged 8.8pts to 88.6, its lowest level since September 2020 during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Business Confidence has now dropped by 16.4pts in the last two months, the largest two-month fall since August 2021. The result came after the Reserve Bank raised interest rates to 3.85% in early February, its first interest rate increase since November 2023. It is important to note that this result for Business Confidence came before the Israeli and US attacks on Iran which began on the final day of February and have already sent oil and gas prices soaring. Business Confidence is now 20pts below the long-term average of 109.6, and down 19.9 points from a year ago. Now 24.7% (down 2.5ppts) of respondents say their business is ‘better off’ financially than a year ago, while 41.3% (up 11.6ppts) say the business is ‘worse off’ (the highest figure for this indicator since September 2024). Just 37.1% (up 3.8ppts) of respondents expect the business to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 24.8% (up 0.4ppts) expect the business to be ‘worse off’. Meanwhile, 33.8% (down 1.1ppts) of respondents say the next 12 months will be a ‘good time to invest’ in growing the business, while 41% (up 4.1ppts) say the next 12 months will be a ‘bad time to invest’.

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence down 4.9 points to 68.5 – lowest Consumer Confidence since start of pandemic

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Original article by Roy Morgan
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 11-Mar-26

ANZ-Roy Morgan Consumer Confidence fell 4.9 points to 68.5 in the week to 15 March; it is now 15.3pts lower than a year ago (83.8), and 9.7pts below the 2026 weekly average of 78.2. The only occasion Consumer Confidence was lower was the weekend of 28-29 March 2020, at the very start of the COVID-19 pandemic when widespread lockdowns were first introduced. Analysis by State shows Consumer Confidence falling in most States, including New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia, but up slightly in Victoria. Now 15% of Australians (down 3ppts) say their families are ‘better off’ financially than this time last year, while 52% (up 5ppts) say their families are ‘worse off’ (this is the lowest net result for this indicator since December 2023). Looking forward, 21% (up 1ppt) of respondents expect their family to be ‘better off’ financially this time next year, while 43% (unchanged) expect to be ‘worse off’ (the highest figure for this indicator since August 1989). Only 5% (down 1ppt) of respondents expect ‘good times’ for the Australian economy over the next 12 months (the lowest figure for this indicator since June 2023), while 49% (up 7ppts) expect ‘bad times’ (the highest figure for this indicator since August 2020). Meanwhile, 16% (down 2ppts) of Australians say now is a ‘good time to buy’ major household items (the lowest figure for this indicator since April 2020), while 47% (up 4ppts) say now is a ‘bad time to buy’ (the highest figure for this indicator since January 2025).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN LIMITED,AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ